


One More Chapter

by whatlighttasteslike (waitingforeleven)



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Academy Era, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Harry Potter References, Kissing, Making Out, Pining, Reading, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 13:14:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11510169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waitingforeleven/pseuds/whatlighttasteslike
Summary: After spending the day reading Deathly Hallows, Jemma can’t wait for Fitz to read a particular chapter, hoping they’ll be able to finally come to terms with their feelings like their two favorite wizards.





	One More Chapter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [soulofaminaanima](https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulofaminaanima/gifts).



> Academy Era AU (in which FS were still at the Academy in 2007 bc of reasons…)

“Simmons, that’s not fair. You’re a faster reader than I am, and it’s almost two in the morning.”

“Yes, well, what do you expect? It’s the last book! And hush, you can read one more chapter before we call it a night. I think you’re going to like this next one.”

“Why? Does Harry finally take out Malfoy?”

“No spoilers! Just keep reading.”

They were curled up on her small childhood bed, chocolate frog boxes scattered across the quilt. It was a rare occurrence, Jemma usually preferring not to eat in bed, but she made an exception for that night, as it seemed appropriate to munch on trolley sweets while making their way to the end of the literary saga. At this point, Jemma only had two more chapters left in the book, but she wanted to wait for Fitz to catch up before continuing on so they could finish the story together.

When the release date for Deathly Hallows was announced, Fitz had agreed to come to Sheffield for the summer, wanting to attend the release party with his best friend. It wasn’t until she met Fitz that Jemma found someone with her same level of obsession for the book series, so she couldn’t wait to attend her first midnight release party without her parents. And when a small boy no more than seven years of age tugged on the sleeve of Fitz’s Hogwarts robe to ask him how to perform a Patronus spell, Jemma knew the night would be one to remember.

Once they made it home safely and decided to forgo beginning the novel until the next morning, they spent the entirety of the next day reading side by side in a variety of different spots throughout Jemma’s family home – at the breakfast table while her father quietly served them chocolate chip pancakes (they would need all the caffeine they could get their hands on to make it through the nearly 800 page tale), in her parents’ garden while they enjoyed the rare English sunshine, and currently, in her small childhood bedroom.

At the moment, while Fitz continued to read on into the wee hours of the morning, Jemma kept herself busy predicting what would happen at the end of the book. She could hardly contain her delight when she herself read the chapter Fitz was currently devouring. The temptation to tell him that their two favorite characters shared a kiss was almost too much to bear. After so much history between the two characters, the satisfaction of them finally admitting their feelings and sharing their first kiss in the halls of Hogwarts even as the battle raged on was everything Jemma had imagined and more.

She never admitted this to Fitz, but she often pictured the two of them as Ron and Hermione, both awkward teenagers in their own right, but so full of heart and devotion to each other. And now, with the relationship finally coming to fruition on the page, Jemma couldn’t help but hope for something similar to occur between her and Fitz. It didn’t necessarily need to be a dramatic declaration, but she hoped he would at least come to his senses and realize their relationship was so much more than friendship. And maybe this chapter was that extra push he needed.

As she reached for yet another chocolate frog, surprising herself by how many she had managed to eat by now, Jemma noticed Fitz was no longer intensely focused on the words in front of him. Instead, he was flipping through the pages he had previously read and stopping every few moments to read a few lines.

“Did you finish?” she asked cheerily as she perched on his shoulder to see what he was reading.

“Yep,” he said simply.

“And? Did you like you?” she asked, squeezing his arm gently.

He didn’t respond, but instead continued to look down at the book, his eyes shifting back and forth as he skimmed a page.

Jemma shifted on the bed to face him properly. “What is it? Did you  _not_  like it?” Her question came out more heated than she intended, but it did get his attention as he finally met her eyes.

“What? No, I mean…I liked it. It was a good chapter.”

“That’s all? Just good?” 

“I don’t know!” He brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “I’m exhausted, so I’ll probably have a better idea of it in the morning.”

“Oh.” She hoped he didn’t recognize the disappointment in her voice, but she knew if she stared at him any longer with that adorable face of his and his tired eyes, she would probably lose it. Before she allowed any tears to shed, she scooted herself off the bed. “I’m going to wash my face,” she muttered as she moved towards her small on suite bathroom.  

Once she closed the door behind her, she stared at herself in the mirror and chuckled lightly, feeling utterly ridiculous. She assured herself it was the lack of sleep that was causing her emotions to run on a rampage. But then she began to worry that he truly didn’t feel the same way and was not as moved by the chapter as she had anticipated.

From their time spent together over the last few months, she thought she had noticed certain signs that things were changing between them. He would find more excuses to spend time with her, even to just run errands or help her with classes he wasn’t taking. And he often grew quiet and somewhat grumpy whenever she chatted with any of their other male peers. But all of these so-called signs could have been him just growing more attached to their friendship.

She nearly forgot the reason she gave as to why she was in her bathroom in the first place, but more time than was necessary had obviously passed as she heard a soft knock at the door.

“Jemma? Are you okay?” Fitz asked quietly.

“I’m fine. Just a minute.”  She turned on the faucet and gave her face a quick splash before straightening up in front of the mirror, urging herself to let the matter rest. But once she stepped back into her room and saw his worrying face, she knew he wouldn’t let it go that easily.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked as he tugged on the edge of his t-shirt.

Jemma sighed and rolled her eyes. “Oh, for God’s sake. Ron and Hermione kissed and you said it was fine?”

“What?” he asked as he furrowed his brow, clearly taken aback that  _this_  was what she was upset about. “I said it was  _good_ , not fine. But what’s the big deal? Why are you so upset?”

“I’m not upset.” She started to move around herself and brought her hand to her forehead. “I’m just tired.  _Ugh_ , I don’t know what I’m saying.”

“You obviously have something on your mind,” he whispered urgently.  

Jemma turned around to face him and was met with soft caring eyes. And there it was again. That temptation to finally just admit to what she’d been feeling for the last eight months. Ever since he’d arrived in Sheffield, she had this nagging feeling in her gut that told her to just tell him. She didn’t know what it was about him being here that made these feelings escalate, but she suspected it was because she was home and in the place where she was most comfortable. And it made her realize she wanted to share it and every other place in her life with him.

She tried to relax before finally giving in and diving forward, not wanting to speak too loudly for fear of waking her parents, so she took in a steadying breath and looked him straight in the eye. “If those two can sort out their feelings in the middle of fighting off the Dark Lord, it seems like we should be able to…well…figure  _this_  out.” She pointed dramatically between the two of them, hoping he would catch on.

Upon hearing her words, he stared at her more intently, his eyes wild in what was probably a combination of confusion and wonder. It wasn’t every day that your best friend alluded to something beyond friendship, let alone in the middle of the night and in the middle of her childhood bedroom. Her own mind raced, and suddenly she thought she’d made a mistake, that he thought her completely mental for bringing this up when they’re both half asleep, not to mention how well they were getting on as simply friends.

But then he was slowly moving towards her, the edge of his mouth curling up just slightly, and she felt a rush go through her entire being that propelled her forward until her lips were pressed to his.

He froze instantly, clearly not expecting her to make such a dramatic move across the room, but then he relaxed into the kiss and brought a hand up to cradle her cheek. The feeling of his lips against hers only elevated the rush of emotions running through her limbs, and she cherished the moment as she felt him melt into the kiss as she did the same. But Jemma didn’t wait long to pull apart, wanting to gauge his reaction for fear of taking things too far too quickly. As they separated, he kept his hand on her cheek, his thumb now stroking it gently. And when their eyes found each other, Jemma pulled her lips in and shrugged slightly through a hopeful expression as she studied him carefully.

But then he was smiling like an idiot, which made her chuckle louder than was probably appropriate, so surged forward again to continue doing what she had been wanting to do all night since she finished reading that chapter.

She couldn’t quite believe she was kissing Fitz in her childhood bedroom of all places. And not just a simple brush of their lips. This was something else entirely. For Jemma, it felt like her world was spinning, but for all the best reasons. She was kissing her best friend, and he was actually kissing her back, even encouraging her to increase their pace and intensity. Of course she wanted to talk about their feelings, but right now, all she wanted to do was feel. And he seemed to be completely fine with that as well.

When they finally separated again - breathless and wide eyed – Jemma couldn’t find her words, so Fitz leaned in for another chaste kiss before softly chuckling. “Does this count as sorting out our feelings?” he asked.

She nodded rapidly. “It’ll do for now.”

Without hesitation, she dove back in, crashing her lips to his once again and moving her fingers through his hair. As she felt him clutch at her waist, the poor boy not knowing exactly how or where to hold her in his teenage state, she pushed him toward the bed and encouraged him to sit so she could straddle him. Between her kisses, which were moving to his cheeks, his jaw, and now his neck, his breathing became more ragged as she quickened her pace.

“Jemma, your—your parents are down the hall,” he managed against her neck between kisses of his own.

“Yes, well, my mum will be pleased since all she talks about is us getting married.”

“What?!”

“She’s always joking!” she exclaimed as she pulled back to meet his eyes. “I mean, I think she is. It’s fine – they’re probably sound asleep anyway.” She moved her lips back to her neck, but she felt him breathing unevenly, so she pulled back again to cradle his face between her hands.

“Fitz, relax.”

He nodded, a wide grin filling his face once again. “Yeah, okay. I can do that.”

In the shuffle of them collapsing heavily onto the small mattress, the brick of a novel fell to the floor with a rather loud thump. But neither of them seemed to mind. The book would probably be worn to bits within the next year of rereading their favorite chapters, and so a few additional scuffs weren’t going to hurt.  

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr at [whatlighttasteslike](http://whatlighttasteslike.tumblr.com)!


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